This May, DM's buildings department developed a tool to measure the environmental impact of concrete [representational image].

Published: 5 August 2018 - 6:27 a.m.

By: Jack Ball

As part of its sustainability efforts aimed at the construction industry, Dubai Municipality (DM) has updated its list of building materials to be used in the sustainable concrete sector.

DM’s buildings department said in a statement that it had carried out a series of environmental studies on sustainable concrete in cooperation with a number of concrete factories in Dubai.

The list of concrete mixtures comprising environment-friendly cement materials has also been updated, the department said.

Department director, Eng Layali Al Mulla, said the study also resulted in the introduction of the Dubai Sustainable Concrete Baseline.

According to DM, the baseline is an “alternative solution to green concrete requirements and represents the maximum allowable environmental impact of concrete mixtures”, depending on the study that used data from some of the concrete factories operating in the emirate.

The initiative, the Buildings Department added, “aims to open the door to innovation and creativity and increase options in the design of concrete mixes and the use of sustainable technologies in the field of raw materials manufacturing”.

Eng Fida Al Hammadi, director of research and buildings materials in the department, added: “New services have been provided to enable customers to evaluate their concrete mixtures using the Dubai Sustainable Concrete Baseline and to be approved by the Municipality’s Buildings Department.”

New services also include membership in the specialised technical data site of the buildings department, as well as subscription to the “smart concrete calculator”, and specialised study on topics such as the approval of concrete mixtures and new sustainable materials.